A Change in Dreams
by draszral
Summary: AU After recieving a plea from Lucrecia, Vincent goes to save and take care of a young Sephiroth. Sorry, will be having a delay in this as Job has flipped to weird hours. More soon:)
1. A Means to an End

Disclaimer: If I owned FF7, I would have a yacht, a mansion, and a load full of useless toys. As it is, I don't. So don't sue me, please.  
  
AN:This is my first FF7 fic, so please, please tell me the truth. And I really hope this idea hasn't been done before, and if it has, I hope I don't anger the person who did it originally. Also, any type of review is nice, as long as it's constructive.  
A Means to an End  
Reliving every sin in ones dreams can be hell for some. Insanity for others. And yet, for Vincent Valentine, they had been his life for the last six years.  
  
His choice to sleep for his sins and be tormented by his nightmares was his. He knew that he deserved to feel the pain of each moment of his failure. Such was his suprise, when everything went black and only he was standing in his dream world.  
  
Vincent looked about the emptiness impassively, awaiting whatever new torture that his mind had produced.  
  
"Such a strange existence you have chosen for yourself, Vincent."  
  
He stiffened for a moment. That voice. The voice of the woman of his dreams, the one he betrayed. "Lucrecia..." As he turned and beheld her, he was again surprised.  
  
She was a ghost.  
  
"You seem to be at a loss to why I am here, Vincent."  
  
Vincent shook his head and put his hand through his hair. "I imagine that, in a few moments, you are going to decompose or become something amazingly hideous and then torment me. Such as I deserve."  
  
Lucrecia tilted her head and smiled, slightly. "I would never torment you, my dear Vincent."  
  
"Then why have you disturbed my punishment?"  
  
Lucrecia's smile faded. "Punishment? I believe after what Hojo did to you, that you would think that punishment enough."  
  
"For what happened to you..." Vincent broke his gave from Lucrecia, taking it back to the darkness. "I failed you. If I burned in Hell, I would not think the punishment was enough." Lucrecia suddenly appeared in Vincent's line of sight, locking her eyes to his blood colored orbs.  
  
"If such is the way you feel, then I have a way for you to redeem yourself." Vincent simply stared at the ethereal vision in front of him.  
  
Lucrecia sighed, "It involves my son, my Sephiroth. I hear his pain, Vincent. I hear his cries as Hojo and those beasts do their cursed experiments on him."  
  
"He is Hojo's son. It is not my concern." Vincent crossed his arms against his chest.  
  
Lucrecia's eyes narrowed. "Make it your concern, Vincent. Go to Midgar, get my son out of Hojo's lab. Otherwise I will damn you myself."   
  
In the blink of a crimson eye, Lucrecia was gone. A sudden pain struck Vincent's head. It was the lid of his coffin. "She forced me awake," shock in his voice.  
  
Vincent rose out of his coffin and glanced about the room. Everything was the way it was when he left it. Even the corpses of those who were supposed to be his comrades.  
  
A wave of anger rose through him as he remembered his own betrayal. The shot tore through his arm. His eyes had locked on Hojo. Vincent had smiled at him. The gun that Hojo had used only had one shot.   
  
Even with his arm impaired, he was more than a match for Hojo. Vincent raged at him, wrapping his hands around his neck, strangling him. Then he felt others arms, the rest of the team that was assigned to protect the scientists.  
  
They pummeled and beat him down. The last thing he heard before he was turned into his current state was "Strap him to the table."  
  
Vincent held his left arm in front of his eyes. It had torn the hearts out of those who had betrayed him. And they had suffered for a long time before he had decided to even do that. And now, he had a chance at Hojo.  
  
"Sephiroth, all you are is a means to an end," Vincent hissed as he left the mansion, "...a means to an end." 


	2. Abandoned

A blinding light seared his eyes. He couldn't focus. The pain was knifing through his mind once again. All he could see in his mind was their faces. Sneering. Smirking. Laughing at him. Calling him a thing.  
  
But he wouldn't scream. Even at his young age, he knew the value of that sound. His cry would not be heard by these people. The bringers of his agony wouldn't hear him break. Not again.  
  
The inner struggle of the subjects mind went unnoticed by the scientists. "Mako infusion continuing...current progress at eighty seven percent and climbing."  
  
"Subjects pain tolerance to mako infusion has increased. Or perhaps he's just being stubborn."  
  
"Muscle cell structure is at three times normal for a human of this age."  
  
'Normal for a human? Am I not human?'  
  
"Brain activity is at thirteen percent, already beyond most adult levels."  
  
"So the process is working. Excellent. Begin taking cellular samples."  
  
'Here it comes. I. WILL. NOT. SCREAM.' The thought repeated in his head as the needles came out of the mechanical arm above the table. The thought repeated as they came close to his skin.   
  
"Initiate the process."  
  
The thought was banished. The howl didn't seem like it could come from something so small. As the needles penetrated seemingly everywhere, he couldn't keep from not screaming.  
  
"Pain tolerance has increased eleven percent. Subject has not yet lost conciousness due to pain."  
  
The needles retracted. He gasped as the needles retracted. He felt, acutely, the small flow of warm blood from the holes.  
  
"Nurse, give him the potion."  
  
He felt his mouth being forced open. He tasted the bitterness of the potion and the surgical gloves of one of his tormentors. He struck back. He bit down on the fingers.  
  
He smirked after he spit out the two digits of the nurse and licked his lips. The copperish taste of blood was on them. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to enjoy it or not. But he did enjoy her scream.  
  
"How many times have I told you people to just pry his jaw open from the outside?!"  
  
The other doctors tended to the nurse while the lead doctor went activated the table. His eyes locked onto the cold green eyes, glowing with Mako, of the subject. Blood stained his lips, and his silver bangs clung to his forehead. "Damn you, Sephiroth!"  
  
Sephiroth smirked at the doctor. "Hojo wouldn't have let that happen." He braced himself for what he knew was coming. He saw it in the muscles of the doctor, the way the shoulder and arm tensed. Sephiroth laughed at him even as the doctor slugged him. After that hit, Sephiroth saw stars for a few moments, before passing out.  
  
"Damn this boy! How can he be the way he is?"  
  
"Doctor Anderson?"  
  
Anderson turned to one of his colleagues, Hart. "What is it, Hart?"  
  
"Hojo just called. He wants the results of the last three weeks sent to his room at Costa Del Sol."  
  
"That bugger and his little vacations!" Anderson spat, "Why can't he come here and deal with this little bastard?"  
  
Hart shrugged. "That is what happens. A department head gets all the credit, and the ones under him do all the work."  
  
Anderson stared at Sephiroths unconcious form with hate. "This thing that Hojo brought to us...It looks like a boy, but it isn't. It's a devil."  
  
Hart just shook his head as the guards came in to take the boy away. Anderson couldn't stand Sephiroth, and he couldn't stand Hojo. Anderson was determined to destroy Hojo's credibility.   
  
'And myself,' Hart thought, 'I'm here cause it's my job.'  
  
As the two of them left, "Hey, you guys!" They simultaneously sighed. Darren Roberts was one of the most annoying worms in the lab. "Did you hear?"  
  
Anderson groaned, "If you say that Sephiroth just bite off a nurses fingers, then don't bother, we were there."  
  
Roberts blinked a couple of times, "No...no that wasn't it. Uh...who was it?"  
  
"Jessica...the cute blonde one," Hart replied.  
  
"Damn it! I was going to go out with her tonight. So much for that."  
  
Hart smirked, "Ah well, what can you do? So...what is it that you felt you had to run like an idiot to tell us?"  
  
"Gast took off!" Anderson and Hart gazed in shock. "Yeah, it's true! He took off with that specimen, A03."  
  
Anderson shook off his shock. "When?"  
  
"Apparently yesterday or the day before. I heard that they just told Hojo over the phone a mere few minutes ago. He's gonna be plenty pissed, I say."  
  
Hart whistled. 'Plenty pissed, indeed. And plenty happy on the inside.' It was no secret that Hojo despised Gast. Especially because he easily controlled Sephiroth.  
  
"And that's not all. Rumour has it that Gast had relations with A03."  
  
Anderson scoffed, "Bah! That is bull. Gast probably just took off because he was sick of Hojo."  
  
"She was getting a bit bigger, ya know. Maybe Gast got her pregnant or something." Roberts looked a bit nervous.  
  
Anderson caught the look. "Alright, Roberts, spill."  
  
"Damn...I knew I shouldn't have pushed it. Well, you remember when I went with Gast up north? Well, the subject came with and all that. One day he sent me to get supplies and, well, I caught them in the act."  
  
Hart looked at him quizically, "And you didn't report it?"  
  
Roberts shrugged his shoulders, "None of my business. 'Sides, I would have to report to Hojo." They all had knowing looks on their faces. No one would want to report that to Hojo.  
  
*  
  
Sephiroth woke up with a slight headache. He poked the side of his face and winced. Though his healing was quick, it wasn't that quick.   
  
He went over to the small stool and stood on it, looking into the mirror.  
  
He stared at himself for a few minutes. His eyes had always glowed, but with the treatments he had been recieving the glow had intensified. The Mako glow.  
  
Sephiroth drew his fingers across his face, feeling the flesh beneath. He wiped the crusted blood off his lips and spat, then looked back at the mirror. "Am I human? I'm almost six, but I'm not really a child, am I?" He stared at the reflection, begging it to answer with his eyes.  
  
Sephiroth sighed and sat down on the bunk in his room. His prison. It was a small room, built just large enough for him now. No window, a small dresser, a bunk, a stool, and a mirror.  
  
"I must be human. Proffessor Gast would have told me if I wasn't."   
  
He fell back fully on the bed. He missed Proffessor Gast. He would tell him things that were on the outside of the lab. He'd give him books. He'd even play chess with Sephiroth occassionally.  
  
Sephiroth replayed the day when Gast had come to him and told him he was leaving. Sephiroth had thought that he would be able to go along.  
  
"No Sephiroth, I can't take you with me. I'm sorry, but they would hunt me down even quicker if I took you."  
  
Sephiroth's small hands bunched into fists. Gast had left him here, left him with Hojo. But Sephiroth hadn't done what Gast had done to him. He didn't betray him.  
  
Whereas others thought it was recent, Gast had truly left more than three months ago. Sephiroth had kept the ruse going, by using Gast's password occasionally where no one would notice, and telling people that Gast had talked with him or taken samples. Which is why they had been so forceful today.  
  
"Proffessor Gast, why'd you abandon me?" 


	3. Family

Vincent stared at the building that was at once the source of both his ascension to the Turks and his damnation as an experiment.  
  
Shinra Headquarters.  
  
Vincent shook his head. Nothing had changed, at least from outward appearances. Admittedly the soldiers were better equipped, and there were more patrols. But, Vincent was a Turk at one point, seconded only by his rival Tseng.  
  
Vincent smirked as he remembered their last conversation. Tseng had been infuriated that Vincent had received the job to protect the scientists. It was ironic that Tseng had wanted the job. Had he actually been given it, Vincent might still be...normal.  
  
Shaking the thoughts from his head, Vincent began walking toward the building. He was taking a risk, one that he was well prepared for, but still a risk nonetheless. Given the fact that he was illegally experimented on, Hojo might have been foolish and not cancelled his clearance.  
  
As he approached, the guards drew on him. "Hold and present your clearance, please." The other eyed Vincent warily, taking his appearance, and especially the clawed left arm, in as sign of trouble.  
  
"Well?" Vincent handed them his card. He could kill them with ease, but this was a subtle job. So he found himself hoping that the card worked.  
  
"Valentine, Vincent...Turk..." The computer bleeped. "Access granted."  
  
The first guard handed Vincent's key card back to him. "Hey, I thought all you Turks wore blue suits?"  
  
Vincent turned his gaze to the guards. "I'm a special case. It signifies the blood of my enemies. All dead."  
  
As he strode through the doors, both guards sighed in relief. For some reason or another, neither felt they would live if he didn't want them to.  
  
Vincent shook his head as he went to the elevator. Hojo had never reported his 'death'. They hadn't cancelled his access even after so long of an absence. "Sloppy..." He slipped the card into the elevator slot. Being a former Turk, Vincent had access to all the floors save the Presidents living quarters.  
  
As the elevator was nearing it's destination, Vincent attached the suppressor to his weapon. No need for the entire tower to know of his presence. Killing off the entirety of Hojo's staff would be a pleasure. Almost as much a pleasure as killing Hojo himself.  
  
*  
  
The cold, glowing green eyes stared right back at him. No answers were there. One would think that all the answers about someone would lie in their eyes. Unfortunately for Sephiroth, such was not the case.  
  
He broke the staring contest he had with the mirror and went back to lying on the bunk. His chest stung from where they had beaten him earlier in the week.  
  
Sephiroth was in the general area of the lab for his daily exercise when he had saw them come in. Professor Gast's wife and their little baby.  
  
He was no fool. He knew that if they were here, where Gast had tried to escape, and Gast wasn't, that he was dead. That enraged Sephiroth so terribly that he attacked the guard. And was subsequently beaten for it.  
  
Now, the daughter of Gast would suffer as Sephiroth had suffered. She was an Ancient, from what he had heard. As was her mother. When Hojo arrived, he would subject them to the same tortures.  
  
As it was, Sephiroth knew there was no stopping Hojo. He had tried for years. What could some weak Ancient and her child do?  
  
Sephiroth jumped as he heard a thud against his door. He saw a slow pool of blood flow underneath the crack of the door. As it opened, he saw a man holding a gun, clothed in red. His red eyes bored straight into Sephiroth's. "You are Sephiroth, yes?"  
  
Sephiroth stood up on the floor. He saw the body of the guard. "Yes I am. Are you here to kill me?"  
  
Vincent allowed himself a smirk. "If I was, you would be dead. Where is Hojo?"  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I have the gun, I'm asking the questions."  
  
Sephiroth mirrored the gunman's smirk. "If you were here to kill me, I'd be dead."  
  
"Brave boy. I am Vincent, a...friend of your mother."  
  
"You know my mother?" Sephiroth was shocked, "You know Jenova?"  
  
Vincent shook his head, "You are not born from someone named Jenova. Your real mother's name is Lucrecia. There is much to explain, Sephiroth, and we haven't the time for twenty questions. So come with me and tell me where Hojo is."  
  
Sephiroth padded toward Vincent and carefully walked over the blood. "I'm not sure where Hojo is. He hasn't examined me in a while. Perhaps Anderson might know."  
  
"Anderson?"  
  
Sephiroth nodded, "Anderson is second to Hojo. He hates him. And he hates me. But he should know where Hojo is," Sephiroth looked up at Vincent, "You aren't going to leave me here are you?"  
  
"Your mother told me to watch over you. I suppose I have to take you with me. But I'm here to kill Hojo. I am not here for you. Do you understand?"  
  
Sephiroth lowered his head, "A means to an end."  
  
Vincent blinked at the echoing of his own words. "Yes. Move along."  
  
Sephiroth moved quietly behind Vincent. As they moved through the halls of the lab, Sephiroth noted that everyone was dead. Quietly and efficiently, Vincent had killed everyone in his path.  
  
"You are not afraid?" Vincent asked, somewhat puzzled at the strange child's behaviour.  
  
"Any place is better than here. And any person, be they a murderer or a demon, is better than the lot of these people. They torture in the name of science."  
  
Vincent stopped and looked at the boy again. "You speak very well for a child."  
  
In a cold voice, reminiscent of one of the scientists, "My brain activity is at thirteen percent. It is beyond the majority of adults."  
  
"I see." Vincent continued walking. "It will serve you well. You will be a quick learner."  
  
"And what will I be learning?"  
  
"How to fight, how to survive, and how to kill, if necessary."  
  
Sephiroth absorbed all of this. "You are taking me from Midgar?"  
  
"Far from Midgar. As far as we can. They will hunt you, even after I kill Hojo."  
  
Sephiroth stopped. Vincent was about to grab him to move him along. "Wait, this is Anderson's room." Vincent turned and saw the door. "Ah, excellent."  
  
Vincent rang the bell. He smirked as he heard Anderson curse. "This had better be important, I have a lot-" CRACK!   
  
As Anderson opened the door, Vincent smacked him quickly upside the temple. Anderson crumpled to the ground on his knees. "What the hell? Who are you? Gu-" Anderson stopped speaking as he saw the barrel of the gun levelled at his head.  
  
"Tell me where Hojo is and you live." Vincent said, malice dripping from each word.  
  
"H-hh-he's in C-C-Costa del Sol...on vacation..." Anderson squeaked, "Please don't ki-" The shot was barely audible, but the crack as it tore through Anderson's head echoed slightly down the hall.  
  
As the body fell backward, Vincent looked down. A small hand was on his. A small finger was on his trigger finger. Sephiroth had made him pull the trigger.  
  
"He deserved to die." Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Vincent shook his head and took Sephiroth's hand from his. "Whatever he did to make you want to kill at a young age must have been intense."  
  
Sephiroth didn't say a word. He just began walking down the hall toward the exit.  
  
Vincent caught up in two easy strides. As they reached the other end of the lab, Sephiroth tugged on Vincent's cloak. "Are we going after Hojo?"  
  
"Now is not the time. If I tried now, the element of surprise would be lost. And I wouldn't be successful if I had a child with me."  
  
"But you will kill Hojo?"  
  
Vincent clenched his clawed hand, "Indeed I will."  
  
Sephiroth gestured toward a clear cell. "What of them?"  
  
Vincent looked toward the area where Sephiroth had gestured and saw two people. Or rather a woman and her child. Vincent had the strangest feeling as he beheld them. He couldn't quite place it, but he felt they were different. He looked away sharply as the woman screamed at him to help. It was sound proof, but it was obvious what she wanted. "We leave them."  
  
"What?" Sephiroth asked, incredulous.  
  
"I said we leave them. Our ability to travel is already hindered because you are a child. A woman with a baby is far more difficult to move about with."  
  
Sephiroth glared at him angrily, "We can't just leave them!"  
  
"Would you rather I just end it for them now?" Vincent was at a loss. If he helped them, they would surely be captured. But he also understood where Sephiroth was coming from. He also, however, had to show his resolve.  
  
"No. They can't die. Not now." Sephiroth felt his eyes burn. He rubbed at them vigorously and his hands became wet. "What's wrong with my eyes?"  
  
Vincent looked at him, a curious expression on his face. "Have you never cried before?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No matter. We must move." Vincent scooped Sephiroth up in his left arm.  
  
Sephiroth stared at the woman, banging for all her life against the prison. Sephiroth blinked the tears away, the first of his young life. "I'm sorry. But I guess this is the way people leave." Sephiroth's mind went to that day when Gast left him.  
  
"I was abandoned by Gast, and now I abandon his family." Sephiroth glanced at Vincent, his saviour, "Ironic, isn't it?"  
  
"Not really. You don't have the choice to save them. It was my choice, and another sin. Another for me to atone for."  
  
*  
  
After they had left the main Shinra building, Vincent had purchased Sephiroth some clothing and had stolen a vehicle. They were quickly heading for the Junon docks. Vincent wanted to make the next ferry to Wutai.  
  
Sephiroth was so fascinated with the world outside that he stayed in the back of the truck. The sterile lab had none of the vibrant color of the outside world.  
  
As they neared Junon, Sephiroth climbed back into the cab. Vincent said nothing and kept driving.  
  
"Thank you, Vincent."  
  
"For what? I did what was necessary for my atonement. Your mother had asked me to."  
  
Sephiroth smirked, "From what I read, there are many ways to atone. Like going to a church and working there for the rest of your life. You came and took me from the hell of that lab." Vincent said nothing. "As you wish, but I still thank you."  
  
Vincent shook his head. Sephiroth eyed Junon and sighed, "This will be my first new city. I wonder what it will be like."  
  
"We won't be here long. We head for Wutai as quickly as possible."  
  
"What is in Wutai?"  
  
"It is where I was born. It is where I learned how to fight. And it is where you will learn the basics. After that, I believe we will head to Cosmo Canyon, or perhaps back to Nibelheim."  
  
Sephiroth nodded, though he had no notion of where or even what those places were. But the thought of learning how to fight intrigued him. As they were leaving, Sephiroth had noticed a sign. 'Join SOLDIER now! Be a warrior for Shinra!'  
  
Though he had no desire to serve the company that subjected him to such brutal tests, the idea of being a warrior was in his mind.  
  
Such thoughts also lead him back to Gast's family. His hands clenched. He knew what he was to do.  
  
He would become the most powerful fighter in the world. His strength would be legendary. We would never be weak again. Weak like Gast, like his family. Weak as Sephiroth was now.  
  
"I am going to be strong, Vincent. We will be strong. No one will do to us again what Hojo has done to us. Agreed?" They both had their eyes on the road ahead. Sephiroth couldn't read Vincent as well as he could the people in the lab. He felt that they were basically the same.  
  
"Agreed, Sephiroth. We shall be strong. Lucrecia would have wanted that."  
  
Sephiroth turned to Vincent and smiled. The first one in a long time. "Thank you, again, Vincent." Sephiroth was sure that, even though Vincent didn't say anything, that he was happy for the company as well.  
  
"We're like a really weird family," Sephiroth said, gazing toward the road again, "We both had our lives, and they were both altered by Hojo. We are different from others, the same but unique to each other. That makes us family, right?"  
  
Vincent didn't say anything for a long while, and Sephiroth really didn't expect him to. He was surprised when he felt his hand clutched by Vincent's. He only said on word.  
  
"Family. Now and forever."  
  
Off in a cave, hidden beyond the paths that most would walk, the ghost of Lucrecia smiled.   
A/N: This isn't the end. I just thought it was a good way to end the chapter. Also, thanks to Dee-whY-Cee-aRe for being the only one to review my fic so far. As always, any feedback is a good thing, as it helps with me learning to write. Any at all. Please!! 


	4. Adjusting Plans

To put it quite simply, Vincent was all business.  
  
Sephiroth glanced at his saviour as they drove toward Wutai. The man, if such he could be called, kept his eyes focused on the road. The gatekeeper had called him crazy for taking a vehicle along the path to Wutai. When Sephiroth asked about it Vincent simply brushed it off.  
  
Sephiroth had noticed the steep cliffs and the relative lack of a decent road, but Vincent handled it all well. Sephiroth also knew not to distract him from his set task at the moment. When he had, they'd nearly gone over a cliff.   
  
"Mind your own business until we are through the valley."  
  
That was all Vincent had said for the last few hours as they drove. And that was the source of Sephiroth's conclusion.  
  
As they crested yet another hill, Sephiroth beheld a field of green. Vincent seemed to relax somewhat, as well. "Can I speak now?"  
  
"If you find it necessary."  
  
"Why is it we are going so fast?"  
  
Vincent put his hand through his hair, "I suppose I should tell you. While you were asleep at the inn at Costa del Sol, I went hunting for Hojo. It was stupid at the time, but I remember that doctor saying he was there."  
  
Sephiroth closed his eyes. He could still see with perfect clarity Anderson's demise. At his hands. 'The bastard deserved it for what he did to me.'  
  
"As it was," Vincent continued, "I encountered some guards and questioned them."  
  
"I see," Sephiroth nodded knowingly, "You killed the guards so they wouldn't identify you, but you are worried that you may have been spotted. Hence our speedy departure."  
  
Vincent turned, surprised at Sephiroth's inherent knowledge of tactics. As he regarded the young boy, Sephiroth suddenly lunged at the wheel. Vincent brought his eyes back to the road. They had just narrowly missed a tree.  
  
Sephiroth laughed a little, "Are you always easily distracted?"  
  
"No," Vincent answered gruffly, "I'm just not used to children acting like adults. You should be more...childlike."  
  
"And how is a child supposed to act?"  
  
Vincent sighed, "Well observe the children of Wutai. See how some of them act. They go and have fun, play. They don't care about tactics or-"  
  
"Killing people?"  
  
"Does it bother you?"  
  
Sephiroth shook his head, "No. And yes. I can't place the feeling I have. A sense of satisfaction of after disposing of him. And yet, a feeling of...remorse for killing him after he had done as he asked. Even after all they did to me. It strikes me as strange."  
  
Vincent nodded, "That is good. If it didn't bother you in the least, I would be worried."  
  
"You would worry about me?"  
  
Vincent smirked, "So it would seem. I imagine it was something Lucrecia did to me in the vision. I normally wouldn't care."  
  
Sephiroth looked at him quizzically, "Why is that?"  
  
"I was formerly a Turk. One of Shinra's assassins. I," He looked at Sephiroth quickly, "I shouldn't be telling you this."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, regardless of what happened and what you have seen, you are still a child. You shouldn't have more twisted knowledge it that head of yours."  
  
"I see. You want me to be more normal."  
  
Vincent nodded. Sephiroth looked back to the road and saw Wutai in the distance. He remembered the city of Junon.  
  
It was still being constructed. He had heard of the massive weapon from eavesdropping on a guard's conversation while on the ferry. It was to intimidate Wutai. Apparently war was closing in.  
  
As they neared their destination, Sephiroth wondered if the people of Wutai were as heated as the people of Shinra. Did they want the war as well?  
  
*  
  
Hojo looked about at his shattered lab. All the technicians. All the doctors. Everyone on his floor was dead. With the exception of the two Ancient specimens.  
  
He stared angrily at them through the glass of their prison. The woman had not given him any information, even after feeling the pain of her refusal. And she knew that Hojo wouldn't hurt the child. At least not yet.  
  
One of the security team members walked up and observed the two specimens. "The security tapes were deleted, sir."  
  
Hojo slammed his fist against the glass. "Damn!" He turned quickly on the guard and grabbed him. "You find out who did this! Or I will make you my next experiment! Do you understand me?"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
The guard moved quickly after Hojo released him. He sneered, "Weak minded fools." Hojo wandered about the lab, assessing the time lost along with capital losses. As he heard the footsteps behind him, he let out a sigh, "This had better be important."  
  
"It is, Hojo." Hojo stiffened at the voice.  
  
"President Shinra, an unexpected pleasure." He turned and greeted the owner of almost all the world. Almost.  
  
Shinra looked about the lab with disgust. "It appears that the security measures you had installed failed." Hojo looked about to speak, "Don't. I don't want excuses. Heidegger is now in charge of security within the tower. You will give him your full co-operation, understood?" Hojo nodded, "Good. Now what is the damage to the program?"  
  
"We have lost six years, effectively. Sephiroth was progressing quite nicely."  
  
Shinra regarded the two prisoners. "And the search for the Promised Land?"  
  
Hojo scoffed, "No progress of course. It doesn't exist."  
  
Shinra smiled, "Of course it does, Hojo. You are just too blind to see. They are our key to it. And Sephiroth was to be our key to power. What will you do now? Can you speed up the program?"  
  
Hojo chuckled, "I happen to have control over time, sir. I can make a child advance as far as Sephiroth."  
  
"Your sarcasm is not amusing. What of Kale? He seems to be the finest SOLDIER."  
  
"He would not be nearly as strong as Sephiroth would. And there could be complications in the process."  
  
Shinra raised an eyebrow, "Such as?"  
  
"Mental instability. Sociopath. Psychotic episodes."  
  
Shinra brought his hand to his chin in thought. "Are these guaranteed to happen? And would he still be...controllable?"  
  
"No and yes. I could even attempt my thesis of Sephiroth cloning and Jenova enhancement." A sadistic grin spread across Hojo's face.  
  
Shinra shuddered at the look on Hojo's face. "What is this thesis?"  
  
The grin faded, "Oh, nothing truly important. Just a little afterthought on the SOLDIER process."  
  
Shinra shook his head, "As long it does not conflict with our goals I don't care. You will receive an increase in your budget. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with the Wutai ambassador."  
  
Hojo glared daggers at Shinra's back as he left. "Go and play your little war games. Your small mind cannot begin to comprehend what is going on. You are a puppet, and I am the master."  
  
The same security officer came into the room and presented yet another report to Hojo. He grabbed it roughly from his hands. "Get this place operational as soon as possible. And find me Kale?"  
  
"K-Kale, sir?"  
  
Hojo smacked the guard across the face. "Yes. Raithe Kale. Find him and send him to my office, immediately."  
  
"Yes sir!"  
  
As the guard left, Hojo began to laugh. Everything was again falling into place. Soon he would have more power than anyone could possibly imagine. 


	5. Friends

Three months had passed since they had arrived at Wutai. Vincent had found his old master, Kai, at the same building just outside of Wutai. Vincent smirked as he remembered the shocked expression on Kai's elderly face when he had showed up.  
  
That same shocked face was on Kai face when he had introduced Sephiroth as his son.  
  
Vincent shook his head. He was worried about the effect he was having on Sephiroth. In some ways, Sephiroth was beyond many adults that Vincent had known. But on many emotional levels, he was a child. The smile on his face when Vincent had said that had raised these thoughts.  
  
Sephiroth actually wanted Vincent to be his father. It boggled Vincent's mind. It was only supposed to be a cover, and he had thought that Sephiroth would have realized that. The other problem, though, was the fact that Vincent was starting to feel the same way.  
  
"Thinking about the boy, are we?"  
  
Vincent spun about without thinking and drew his gun. A flash of pain went through his arm as it was twisted behind his back. "I may be old, but I can still fight well, Vincent."  
  
Vincent held out for a while before tapping with his metal claw. "I can see that."  
  
The elder martial artist smiled at his former student. "Too much time working with the Shinra it would seem. Tell me what troubles you, Vincent. Perhaps I can help."  
  
Vincent straightened himself out and placed his gun back in the holster. "It is my own concern."  
  
Kai laughed, "Always keeping things to yourself. Especially when it concerns your son. You must think me foolish."  
  
"Why would you say that?"  
  
"That boy is easily not your son, Vincent. If you thought for one moment that I was that easily fooled, I would think you had lost respect for me."  
  
Vincent was at a loss, "I...meant nothing by it, master."  
  
"Simply call me Kai, Vincent. After hearing your explanation of what had happened, with the exception of Sephiroth, I think I understand. You want to be connected to the world again."  
  
"I shouldn't be. I deserve to be punished."  
  
"Always the same. Anytime you felt sorry for yourself you came to this cliff and would sit on that rock. You'd stare at the see for hours, tearing yourself up over something. You are so self-destructive." Kai sighed as he sat cross-legged on the ground. "Tell me about Sephiroth, then."  
  
Vincent sat back against the rock, staring at the ocean. He debated within his mind about deceiving Kai, but it appeared that it hadn't worked in the first case. So he told Kai about everything.  
  
Kai stood up, far quicker than any old man had any right to, and put a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "I know what you want, Vincent. You want what you thought that Hojo had. You wanted Lucrecia's son for yourself. You wanted to be Hojo, before you knew what they would do."  
  
Vincent stared in silence at the sea. Kai sighed, patting Vincent's shoulder and started to walk away. "And now you want to give the boy what he hasn't had. What you didn't have. A father."  
  
Vincent's eyes closed. "I shouldn't. What I have, or rather, haven't done is a sin. I allowed the woman I loved to be subjected to the whims of that thing, Hojo. She...It all happened because I did nothing."  
  
"So, tell me then, Vincent. What will you do when you do nothing now?"  
  
As the footsteps got farther and farther away, Vincent sighed. How was it that his master could read him so well? Vincent kept staring at the sea after the sun set. The darkness usually helped him think, and he had a lot to think about.  
  
*  
  
After the days training session, Sephiroth went over to what was dubbed 'his' corner.  
  
He stood and watched as the other students went outside and played their games. They had never spoken to him, and he had never spoken to them. It was the way it was.  
  
It did seem odd to Sephiroth that when he and Vincent arrived, Master Kai had taken on more students. Three more students his age, to be precise.  
  
It didn't matter to Sephiroth, though. He knew that he as physically more than a match for them. As well as mentally, for the most part. Some things, however, they seemed to know.   
  
One time, Master Kai had spoken about respect. Sephiroth understood respect. He respected Master Kai and he respected Vincent. And that was how he answered. The others had spoken of family and friends. It confused Sephiroth to no end about why having, let alone respecting, a friend was important. Master Kai had simply responded in a knowing voice that Sephiroth would understand one day.  
  
Watching them play, Sephiroth did feel that he was missing something as he watched the three of them. "You should go out with them, Sephiroth."  
  
Sephiroth turned to Vincent and smiled at him, "Hi, Vincent. Master Kai said you were out at your cliff. I didn't know you had your own cliff."  
  
Vincent smirked a little, "I see. Why don't you go out there and play?"  
  
Sephiroth crossed his arms, "I don't want to." Sephiroth watched as the girl caught a frog and showed it off to the two boys. They seemed a bit surprised about it. "You don't go off with other people, Vincent. You don't need other people. And neither do I."  
  
"That is not entirely true, Sephiroth. You are around."  
  
Sephiroth looked at Vincent, confused. "Of course I am. We don't count."  
  
Vincent came down to a crouch and looked at Sephiroth face to face. "We do. I never had a father, Sephiroth. I was just with my mother until I was twelve. She got sick, and then she died." Vincent noticed the sad expression that Sephiroth got when he heard that. "Don't worry, it was a long while ago. But I never let anyone close. Not even Master Kai. When I finally met someone that I wanted to have close to me, I was quite far gone for something like that."  
  
"That would be mother. Lucrecia, right?"  
  
Vincent nodded. "That is right, Sephiroth. Do you understand, so far?"  
  
Sephiroth nodded. "You think that I should go see them so I am happier. Right?"  
  
Vincent nodded. Sephiroth shook his head, "I don't need anyone to be happy. Them and their silly games. I just need you. You are the one that took me from the lab. That's all I need."  
  
Vincent looked down. "I want to tell you something, Sephiroth. This is something you really need to know. I am not something good, Sephiroth. I have demons within me. I am inherently a monster. And I am not your father." Vincent locked his eyes to Sephiroth's, "Hojo is your father."  
  
Sephiroth stared at Vincent's red eyes. His fists tightened to the point where blood was being drawn from his nails digging into his palms. He didn't want to believe it, but he could tell that Vincent wasn't lying.  
  
Vincent blinked slowly. "There is something else. Master Kai spoke with me. He made me see something. I would like to be your father if you'll let me. I want to help you with all this...strangeness. I-"  
  
"That thing is my father?"  
  
Vincent nodded, "Yes?"  
  
Sephiroth let out a cold laugh; "He would do that to his own son?" Sephiroth fell to his knees. "I'm Hojo's son." He took all the rage he had felt in his small life and let out a mournful howl. He then drove his fist through the wooden floor.  
  
"If you think you are more of a monster than Hojo, I think you're wrong." Sephiroth said, looking at Vincent. Tears started coming down Sephiroth's face "You saved me. You already are my father."  
  
Vincent then did something he never thought he'd do to anyone. He hugged the poor young boy in front of him. When Vincent let him go he saw the three other students standing close to them. Sephiroth turned and looked at them as well.  
  
Vincent took a step or so back. Regardless of what anyone told him, he still realized that he was quite intimidating.  
  
The girl took a couple of small steps toward Sephiroth, "Are you okay? We heard a yell."  
  
Sephiroth regarded the girl quizzically. She had reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. The strange thing was, at least to Sephiroth that she actually seemed to care.  
  
As Sephiroth stood up the girl's eyes went to his hand, which was cut and bleeding a bit. "You're hurt!" She quickly rushed to the medical chest in the main room. She came back with a bandage and a towel. Her hands were dripping slightly, having just been cleaned.  
  
Sephiroth was quite surprised when she just took his hand and started looking at it. "This is gonna sting a bit, so don't get mad at me." Sephiroth had no reaction to the sting. It really wasn't that bad in comparison to the other 'treatments' he had. "I'm Kairi. Those are my friends Riku and Sora. Sora is the one with the brown hair and the blue eyes. Riku is the one that kinda looks like you." Kairi looked back and forth between Riku and Sephiroth. "Riku's hair is more grey than silver and your eye's glow and his don't." She laughed a little, "You look confused." She patted his hand and tossed the towel into a bin, "There ya go." Kairi took a step back and looked at Sephiroth expectantly.  
  
Sephiroth examined his hand then looked back to Kairi. "My name is Sephiroth." Kairi giggled and clapped her hands.  
  
"See, I told you he'd talk."  
  
Sora waved a little, "Hiya, Sephrot."  
  
Riku shook his head, "No, it's Seph-ir-oth."  
  
"Oh, sorry 'bout that. You're not mad, are ya?" Sephiroth shook his head. Sora smiled, "Good. It's a funny name."  
  
Kairi walked over and grabbed Sephiroth's good hand. "Come on, Seph! Let's go play. We're trying to find the frog I found. Riku lost it."  
  
"I did not!" Riku huffed.  
  
"Yes you did!" Kairi said laughingly as she dragged Sephiroth along. Sephiroth was still looking at her funny. "What?"  
  
"You called me Seph."  
  
Kairi smiled, "It's a nickname. You need it. Your name is way too long!"  
  
Sephiroth started following along, then glanced back to where Vincent was. He was trying not to smile.  
  
Riku nudged Sephiroth in the ribs, "Ya know, we all think your dad is pretty cool." Sephiroth smiled then and looked back to the rest of them.   
  
"Yeah, he is. My dad is pretty cool."  
A/N I know that Kairi, Riku and Sora are all from Kingdom Hearts and all that, I was just struggling for names and faces. This was the easy way. No real crossovers intended so don't hope for that.  
  
Also, eventually everyone (Cloud, Tifa, Barret and the rest) will be in the fic, its just going to take some time. And I really need help with the summary.  
  
Also, constructive criticism is always good. Looking forward to seeing more reviews. And thanks once again to my loyal reader Dee-whY-Cee-aRe for the continuing support.  
  
If I get even just three reviews I might write more tonight! 


	6. Ten Years and Happiness Dies

Time is not a constant thing. Sometimes, when something terrible is happening, it ticks by ever so slowly. Inconsiderate of those that it torments. And, of course, to those that time blesses with happiness, it moves all together too fast.  
  
And as always, happiness ends far too abruptly.  
  
*  
  
General Raithe Kale sneered at the man in front of him. The scientist Hojo glared right back at him. It had been ten years since Hojo had done his work on Kale. Kale grimaced as the memories of the infusions came back to him. The pain still coursed through his body.   
  
Kale couldn't fathom how Hojo had managed to get him pulled from the front at a time like this. The war on Wutai should take priority over some idiot's inspection.  
  
"You will submit to my will, General." Hojo said, a snake-like smile across his face.  
  
General Kale had had enough. Enough of those prattling Shinra idiots. Enough of the scientist's interference with his work. And enough of Hojo.  
  
"No."  
  
Hojo blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"  
  
Kale's sneer faded, leaving a look of absolute ice. "I said no. Shinra knows what I am. Thanks to you. Frankly, I am sick of being your dog."  
  
"Then I will have to force you."  
  
Kale look quite surprised when the guards walked in. "General Kale, we don't have to hurt you."  
  
Kale had to suppress a smile. It was time to flex his wings. Literally.  
  
Two bat-like wings tore out of Kale's back. His eyes turned a dark red and glowed with Mako's fury. A dark purple mist flowed from his eyes and transformed his SOLDIER uniform into one seamless black garment. The only color on it appeared to be bloody spots. Two long blades graced his belt now, as he was disarmed beforehand. They were the same color as the mist.   
  
His face seemed to get paler, accentuating the sharp features that made him famous as a handsome general. His long black hair was tied back as well. The change seemed to make it look like the ends of his hair for about an inch was dipped in blood.  
  
After the mist dissipated, Kale looked at Hojo and smiled, "Surprised?"  
  
Hojo fell back, "That is impossible! I would have known about this!"  
  
Kale laughed darkly, "The Voice taught me how to conceal my power." He glanced at the guards. Amazingly enough they drew their weapons on him. A black energy surrounded Kale's hand, as he appeared to slash at them with it. An invisible blade tore across them, severing their torsos from their legs.  
  
Hojo turned to look as the blood poured out from the wounds. "How is this possible?"  
  
Kale performed a mock bow, "Magic, Hojo. And you said it didn't exist. Now if you'll excuse me." Kale flexed his wings and drew them about him like a cloak.  
  
"What of me?" Hojo honestly feared for his life at this moment. All of this was unexpected.  
  
"Do what you were going to do, Hojo," Kale said, disdain in his words, "The Voice demands it of you."  
  
As Kale left, the guards outside jumped in surprise. "General Kale...what happened to you?" Kale could smell the fear dripping off of them.  
  
"President Shinra has awoken the Angel of Death. I am going to the front. I have some business that I have to attend to."  
  
Hojo watched the devil leave, "How did I not know?"  
  
*  
  
Sephiroth watched as more wounded came through the main gates of Wutai. Ten years had passed since he and Vincent had walked through those very same gates. It had also been seven years since the war had started.  
  
It came gradually, as Sephiroth perceived it. Although he normally was at the dojo, he came to central Wutai often enough to get the feel of things. The war had come quite gradually.  
  
He felt a hand grasp his, entwining it's owners delicate fingers with his own, "You're thinking about the war again."  
  
Sephiroth sighed, "It's all I can seem to think about anymore, Kairi."  
He turned and looked at his dearest friend.  
  
She had let her reddish-brown hair grow to shoulder length. Occasionally she'd bug Sephiroth about the abnormally long amount of hair he had. Her blue eyes generally shone with an inner light, happiness. Now they had concern in them. The expression of worry on her delicate face was quite strange, as it was accustomed to smiles and laughter. "You don't need to worry about me, Kairi. I'm not going to do something stupid."  
  
Kairi looked up at Sephiroth with a small pout, "Promise?"  
  
Sephiroth took the hand that she held and brought it to his chest, pressing hers to his heart, "I promise."  
  
Kairi smiled at him, staring into his Mako green eyes. "I just don't want to lose anyone. All the boys want to go to the war. And with Vincent out scouting for Wutai..." Kairi wrapped her arms around Sephiroth's muscular form, "I just thought you'd go."  
  
Sephiroth held her close for a few moments. "Damn, I wish I had a girl that nice looking pressed against me!"  
  
They separated and glared simultaneously at the speaker. A battle weary Wutai soldier. "Hey, no need to glare. Just saying is all."  
  
Sephiroth just spun about and started walking away. Kairi glared at the solider for a few extra seconds before catching up.  
  
Sephiroth simply shook his head. Boys had always been trying to get Kairi's attention. Not only was she a very athletic girl, but also she was blossoming into a beautiful woman. Even their two other best friends vied continually for her affections.  
  
Riku and Sora continually competed to see whom Kairi would share her affections with. Kairi thought it was fun, of course. Sephiroth thought it was stupid.  
  
Sora and Riku both were so similar in their physical ability, but so incredibly different in their personalities. Over the last few years they had caught up to Sephiroth's physical prowess. Riku's skill with a blade was amazing. He and Sephiroth had battles that would last hours. Sora's ability with a blade was good as well, but he lacked the cool head that was required at times.  
  
Hand to hand was another story all together, however. They all seemed to fall to Kairi. As they walked together in silence, Sephiroth looked at her. She dressed like a girl. All in pink. But she fought like a demon.  
  
Physically, they could all overpower her. However, speed and skill were her attributes. She even said it herself once, "You boys like toys. You focus all of your effort into your sword skills. What I have can't be taken away from me."  
  
So to counter this, Sephiroth had proposed a deal. He'd go and beat up all the boys that came after her if she taught him to fight like her. She really hated all of them intruding on her time with her friends. So Sephiroth went and did her bidding. Now he could almost beat her. It was only a matter of time.  
  
Kairi laughed a little, "Thinking about fighting me again?"  
  
"I hate it when you do that, and yes. Soon I will be able to beat you."  
  
"Does it bother you that you can be beaten by a girl in a fight?"  
  
Sephiroth shrugged, "A bit I guess. However, I know that you wouldn't beat me in a sword fight so it balances out."  
  
"Yeah, you just keep justifying it like that. Every time you hit the ground or tap out, okay?" Kairi flashed him a grin.  
  
Sephiroth sighed. "Yes, yes."  
  
Kairi put her hands behind her back and skipped about a bit. "So when is Vincent going to be back this time? We all miss him."  
  
Sephiroth put his hands to the back of his head, "Three or four days."  
  
"Well, at least we still have Master Kai."  
  
"Indeed. I think, even though he tells us not to do it, he likes it when we call him 'Grandpa'."  
  
Kairi nodded, "I think so, too." Kairi took a look at the setting sun across the sea. "It's getting late, we should hurry." She started running, "Try to keep up, Seph!"  
  
Sephiroth took off, silently cursing about Kai's choice to have his dojo so far up the peninsula.  
  
*  
  
Regardless of how fast they ran, they still arrived at the dojo a half an hour after dark.  
  
"I beat ya, Seph!" Kairi said, catching her breath.  
  
"I didn't know it was a race."  
  
Kairi laughed and ran into the dojo, leaving Sephiroth to catch his breath. He started when he heard Kairi scream. "Kairi!"  
  
Sephiroth ran into the dojo and saw Kairi, a large bruise on her face, near Riku and Sora who were both bruised and looking fearfully toward a thing that could only be called a demon.  
  
Sephiroth quickly fell into a battle stance. The stranger laughed, "Is that any way to great me, brother?"  
  
"You are no brother of mine!" Sephiroth snarled.  
  
"Au contraire, dear brother. I am created as you are. My name is Raithe Kale."  
  
All of them knew that name. The name of the General that was attacking Wutai. "And by the way, sorry for attacking your little peach, there. She came in quite quickly."  
  
Sephiroth moved about trying to find a weakness in Kale. He was standing with his wings out and his arms crossed. His hands were close to his weapons. Sephiroth stopped when Kale started laughing.  
  
"Sorry, but is that it? I mean the way Hojo talked, you were supposed to be some sort of god." Kale raised his arm and pointed it at Sephiroth. As he opened his hand, Sephiroth was flung back against a wall.  
  
"Sephiroth!" Kairi yelled. The three others stood up and charged at Kale. His wings snapped up and an energy wave hit them hard, slamming them against the same wall.  
  
"Has Master Kai taught you nothing?" Kale laughed as they attempted to get up. "You're all so terribly weak. I am disappointed in my late master."  
  
Kale whistled. Two SOLDIERs came in with a barrel of explosives. "Return to the main group, I will join you shortly." The SOLDIERs saluted.  
  
"Master...Kai...is gonna kick...your ass." Sora hissed as he tried again to stand up. Riku and Sephiroth just glared at the General.  
  
"I think not." Kale reached down into a bag attached to his belt as his other hand set the timer. He pulled out Master Kai's head and set it atop the timer. "As he is of the deceased nature, he won't be kicking anyone's ass."  
  
They stared in horror as Kale set off the timer. He laughed as he walked out.   
  
Riku and Sora struggled to get up, but Kale's attacks and rendered them far too weak. Kairi fell back next to Sephiroth, who was still out. "Sephiroth...help..."  
  
Kairi looked at the timer as it reached five seconds. She closed her eyes and waited as Riku and Sora yelled for help. If she didn't see it, it wouldn't hurt as much.  
  
A/N: sorry bout the wait on this one, a buddy of mine got in a car accident and needed a hand with some things. I wasn't sure about this chapter, but I figured what the hell anyway? As long as I keep writing and all.  
  
Hope the cliffhanger doesn't anger anyone (snicker)  
  
And of course thanks to Dee-whY-Cee-aRe for being the hella loyal reader so far. Thanks also to my new readers The Highwaywoman (sorry bout the no Vincent in this chap) and Solei Lizebeth Alice Grinaldi (I was using smirk a bit too much :) )  
  
Hope you all decide to stay tuned for the next exciting chapter! (Could that sound any lamer?)  
  
Also seems I'm still lacking the descriptive nature...please bear with me. 


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